Ford Performance Racing ꦇmanaging director David Flint has confirmed that Greg Ritter will be joining the Prodrive owned blue oval team next seasoꦿn.

One o🍨f Australia's most exciting motor racing talents, Ritter won this year's Sandown 500 as co-driver to Champion Ford driver Marcos Ambrose, and has also been a consistently strong performer in all of his V8 Supercar endurance and sprint raওce appearances throughout his career.

According to Flint, the introduction of Ri🥂tter to the FPR driver line up in the team's third season of compe✃tition bodes for a very exciting 2005.

"We have been watching Greg during the past two seasons," he sa🍃id. "We were particularly impressed with his outstanding performances with Marcos Ambrose and SBR during this year's endurance races and we look forward to helಞping Greg make his mark in V8 Supercars with FPR next season."

The signing of Ritter to this m🥃ajor Ford V8 Supercar team represents the driver's first full season drive in the Australian V8 Supercar Champio🧔nship Series.

Ritter is understandably excited about joining the team in its third season of comꦕpetition.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me - for the first time in my career I am heading towards a full season in V8 Supercars with a major Ford team and I will be joining one of the world's most accomplished motor racing organisations in Prodrive," he said. "This is also a very exciting time to be joining FPR, as they have spent the last two years developing the team and now wꦦe are beginning to see their potential for Championship success. I am really looking forward to 2005."

Ritter commanded the sport's attention when he won the 1999 Australia𝔍n Formula Ford Championship with just one round victory and virtually a complete season spent on the podium in one of the most consistent performances in the category's history.

The new FPR driver finished 9th in his first Bathurst 1000 during the same year and has remained a Bathurst 1000 top ten finisher ever since as a V8 Super🌃car endurance co-driver of choice for respected teams including Dick Johnson Racing, Paul Weel Racing and Stone Brothers Racing.

A brief tenure with 00 Motorsport in 2003 saw Ritter complete six V8 Supercar rounds before the team was sold mid-season, relegating the talented driver to endurance race duties. Ritter has displayed his strongest form this season, when he co-drove to victory in the Sand🌃own 500 and raced to fourth place in the Bathurst 1000 with Marcos Ambrose. These performances proved that Ritter had not lost ♔any of his pace, determination or consistency despite not being a full time V8 Supercar driver.

FPR Chief Enginee🅘r John Russell welcomes Ritter to the team and is looking forward to the c𓂃ontribution FPR's new driver will be making in 2005.

"Greg🏅 impressed us at FPR's test at Winton in July," he said. "His subsequent strong drives at Sandown and Bathurst and two strong Konica events reinforced my impression that he possesses the raw speed and flair to be at the very front of this highly competitive championship. It's a pleasure for FPR to give him his first true full time V8 Supercar drive."

With Craig Lowndes and Glenn♍ Seton, both leaving the team at the conclusion of the 2004 season, an announcement confirming the remaining driver position to be filled at FPR will be mad𝕴e shortly.